MEM

Why are the spring Holy Days (moadim or appointed times) special? What have they to do with the redeemed of Yeshua?

Leviticus 23 is the summary of the commanded, appointed times of YHVH. It starts with the Sabbath rest v-3 (We are to enter into the rest provided by our Savior Hebrews 4:3-11).

Next is the Passover, celebrating protection by the blood of the lamb during the Egyptian bondage. Leviticus 23:5 (Representing Yeshua as our Passover Lamb 1Corinthians 5:7).

Then come the seven days of Unleavened Bread, which commemorates leaving the bondage of Egypt. Leviticus 23:6-8 (Putting leavening out of our homes; a picture of putting sin out of our lives, leaving the bondage of sin 1Corinthians 3:5-8).

During the days of unleavened bread is the wave offering, called Firstfruits, celebrating the good and bounty in the promise land. Leviticus 23:10-11 (Which is a symbol of Messiah, the Firstfruit 1Corinthians 15:20-23).

Then we are told to count fifty days from the wave offering until the next feast (appointed time of YHVH) Leviticus 23:15-16 (Giving of the Holy Spirit Acts 2. Also picturing the gathering of believers, who are as firstfruits of Messiah James 1:18).

These are the first appointed times of YHVH. For more information (Click Here).

During the seven days of unleavened bread we are told to put the leavening out of our homes and to eat unleavened bread. Why? What benefit is it if I perform these tasks? Does it help to keep these appointed times of our Creator?

Here are some extracts from an article by Daniel Rendleman entitled "A Matzah Message", which may help us with these questions. [Highlighting and emphasis added.]

…Thousands of years ago our ancestors were enslaved to the evil taskmaster Pharaoh in Egypt. Elohim sent forth a redeemer who cried the desires of YHWH's own heart, to "let my people go." The purpose of the Exodus was freedom for YHWH's people.

…We are to make a big deal about what is found in our kitchen cabinets and what foods we eat. We are to fast leavened products and eat bread not made with yeast.

These simple physical events have the ability to alter our spiritual lives.

…YHWH

has ordered us in His word to do physical measures to bring about remembrance.

…Doing such reminds us of the exodus, and how our lives are to be free of pride, ego, and sinful actions. Through taking these physical actions we are affecting the spiritual realm.

…Through ridding our home of leaven … we can actively reflect upon YHWH's power and bring about a spiritual powerful point - the physical mirrors the spiritual.

…In the physical we eat unleavened bread, which greatly affects the spiritual realm. We must realize that during these days, YHWH is moving upon mankind urging us to become open vessels to receive from Him. It is at this time Yahshua

(Jesus) gave His blood for us, and therefore we should accept life and blessing from Him. This is the season for taking a personal inventory of our life, accepting the fact that we do sin, and remove the influencing factor from our being. We are to eat of the unleavened bread and stay away from yeast.

…We are to remove the leaven from our homes, refrain for eating chametz (leaven), and eat unleavened bread for a week. These physical actions, as insignificant as they may seem, have primed our spiritual lives to receive cleansing from above. We have purged our bodies of leaven and in doing so we have purged our souls of sinful actions and negative thoughts. Doing so, we can experience the true purpose of Pesach (Passover),

which is freedom.

…Biblical freedom is not the power to be in full control to follow our every desire. Cherut (freedom) instead is the ability to do what YHWH wants and desires. We are free from our former masters of sin and self, yet we are still slaves or servants to YHWH.

So by being obedient to the teachings, the instructions of YHVH’s word, we can affect the spiritual realm. We keep not the instructions (Torah) because they are required but because we love the one who first loved us. And behold, it will result in a glorious future.

Our whole physical life on this earth is (should be) preparatory for the spiritual eternity that is offered to us by the Creator of all. Therefore we need to be laying up treasures where moth and rust does not corrupt, we need to be affecting the spiritual realm, by the power of the Spirit of our loving Savior. How? By being obedient to our Master’s Word.

Our hope is that you will diligently consider following all of YHVH’s commands; for they bring about change, not only in our physical life now but in the eternal life to come; this will also glorify our Creator, blessed be His name.

Proverbs 13:13 …But the one who fears the commandment will be rewarded.

It is those who keep YHVH’s commands with heart that please Him and bring reward.

Saying (s)

"The difference between failure and success is doing a thing nearly right and doing a thing exactly right."

Edward Simmons

We can toy around with the calling of Yeshua in our lives or we can whole heartily apply what is written in His Word. Man has the uncommon sense of deciding to do things his own way, of doing it differently, or reasoning around what is clearly stated by the Creator.

Sometimes we may not fully understand why the Creator instructed us to do certain things and wonder about the value; it is a matter of faith; trust Him for He said:

Isaiah 55:7-11Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Let us not reason but do it His way.

Bible Quiz

Yeshua told Nicodemus that no one can see the Kingdom of God unless what?

In Jewish money, one mina equaled how many shekels?

YHVH handed King Ahaz over to the king of what land?

From where does every good and perfect gift come?

How long was the famine to last after Joseph revealed himself to his brothers?

Who was the father of Methuselah?

Who said, "Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor"?

Humility

In our pursuit of humility:

"It is of utmost importance that we study to know and trust the life that has been revealed in Christ as the life that is now ours, and waits for our consent to gain possession and mastery of our whole being." Andrew Murray

Paul tells us:

Col 1:27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.(NLT)

Galatians 4:19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

We are to be humbly committed to the course of action that assures our salvation and eternal life. "Father, not our will but Yours be done."

Did you know:

Fingernails grow about two inches in a year.

Discovery of the semi-precious stone garnet, often means diamonds are nearby.

The world's largest office building is the U.S. Pentagon. It has 6.5 million square feet.

The whale's heart beats only nine times a minute.

February 1865 was the only month without a full moon in recorded history.

Above quotes from Trivia & Tidbits

Lighter Side

Shown below, is an actual letter that was sent to a bank by an 86 year old woman. The bank manager thought it amusing enough to have it published in the New York Times.

Dear Sir:

I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month.

By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it.

I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire pension, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years.

You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.

My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.

I noticed that whereas I personally answer your telephone calls and letters, but when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become

From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person.

My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.

Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contract which I require your chosen employee to complete

I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.

Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.

In due course, at MY convenience, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me.

I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Let me level the playing field even further.

When you call me, press buttons as follows:

IMMEDIATELY AFTER DIALING, PRESS THE STAR (*) BUTTON FOR ENGLISH

# 1. To make an appointment to see me
# 2. To query a missing payment.
# 3. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
# 4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
# 5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
# 6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home
#7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to that Authorized Contact mentioned earlier.
# 8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
# 9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service.
# 10. This is a second reminder to press* for English.

While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music
will play for the duration of the call.

Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.

May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous New Year?
Your Humble Client

(Remember: This was written by a 86 year old woman)

The Garden Path

I had been drooling over several expensive Cymbidium orchids in bloom at my local supermarket. Once the faded blooms were removed, the plants went on sale and I went to my husband. After obtaining permission to bring yet another plant into our home, I happily set off to the store on errand day to get my prize. My joy was visible when I found one remaining orchid at 90% off. Feeling almost sneaky for getting such a great bargain, I put the orchid in my shopping cart and proceeded on with getting groceries. Now this orchid is so big that I had to look around it to steer my cart and when I checked out, we couldn’t fit a bag over it. I was dreading taking it out into the 15 below wind chilled February day to my equally cold car but there was no other way of getting it home.

So it sat bundled up in plastic through two more hours of errands before it reached the warmth of my home. I was sure that I had done irreparable damage to it as my other Phalaenopsis orchid will not stand any temperature below 55 degrees. I hoped desperately that I had not frozen my brand new giant tropical orchid.

Then I went online and sighed with relief. My "tropical" orchid grows in the mountains and actually requires periods of cold to set blooms and is hardy down to 28 degrees. So it was fine, riding around in the car protected from the wind chill. My assumption, based on the plant’s name, was faulty.

I have mistakenly made assumptions about people the same way I mislabeled my orchid as a delicate tropical. Perhaps I should learn the true character of others before I let my first impression guide my interactions with them. I know that God looks on the heart of a person, not on the outward appearance in His dealings with us. I am so grateful that He can see that my heart desires to serve Him, even when I may fail outwardly.

A Story

Seek God

Fred wanted to do something special for the church he was attending. Fred was a zealous and successful business man. Many looked up to him because of his business savvy; some sought his guidance when they had decisions to make concerning major purchases or financial issues.

Having an especially good year Fred could afford something special and the tax write off that would be beneficial for his company. What could he do? The church he was attending had most everything. A rather small group but faithful in striving to serve one another as well as others. "I know" he thought. I will start a fund that could be used to help those in need.

What should he call it? "Fred’s reserve fund". Or, "Fred’s helping hand". How much should he put into it? Should he let others contribute as well? What kind of by-laws would he draw up? Should he have a petty-cash fund that others could administer? Would he be the primary decision maker for the major account? Should he make it conditional? What if he should leave this group, what would happen to the funds? What if next year he could not afford to contribute? What if…?

Poor Fred, he could not seem to get a grip on how to bestow on mankind his benevolent gift.

One day during a church business meeting a little old widow lady brought up a motion to start a fund to assist those in need; not only in their group but for the community and needy people in their country and abroad. Going on; she pointed out that while in a time of prosperity they should be considering the possibility of future times that may not be so good. She continued a bit more by adding how they should trust God to give wisdom in its distribution and application.

Fred began to inwardly scoff at the idea. What could she do to start a fund? What did she know about how to handle important decisions like investments, distribution, and other financial responsibilities? Besides, that was what he wanted to do in the first place. Now he would have to come up with some other magnanimous idea.

Others in the business meeting developed the widow’s idea and they selected her, along with a deacon and his wife, to work out a plan. Many wanted to give and help; that is except Fred, "Let them see how far they can get without my assistance" he mused.

A few days later Fred received a call from the "Helping Fund" committee. Would he be willing to share some insight on how they could draw up a sound financial base to protect the funds account against any unscrupulous characters? Fred was quick to find an excuse to avoid his involvement. So he offered a bit of advice, "Why don’t you just pray about it, seek God, surely He will give you direction. If this is His will, you will succeed."

And that is what the committee did. Within a month the fund was started and the little old widow lady, the one that suggested the idea, began the fund with a $55,000 contribution. She had no children or others to care for and her cautious living standard allowed her to build this savings, with all her heart she wanted to do this. The committee agreed that all contributions would be kept confidential.

Soon the fund was growing not only from contributions but by wise investments. An announcement was made to the congregation to keep their eyes and ears open to specific needs so they could apply the Helping Fund. The prayer group was given the challenge to ask the Creator and Savior for direction.

It was not long before one member came up with an article about a group helping the poor in a European nation. They responded. Next a tape was played about a struggling church in South America. They responded. A new family moved into their area and came to the church looking for fellowship; learning of their needs they prayed and "They responded".

The Helping Fund had a problem though, the funds kept growing, despite the dire predictions Fred made at the business meetings.

One particular capable computer programmer offered his service to begin a Web site to promote their desire to help the needy. After some serious debate and Fred’s warning that every con-artist would be ready to bilk them of their money regardless of their good intentions. They prayed. They proceeded. They prospered.

It was not too long before they had to hire a person full time to handle the calls for help and record the overwhelming contributions. With the "Helping Fund" Bibles were purchased and shipped along with fund requests. More Bibles were purchased and given to inner city missions. There were no requirements placed upon those receiving help, only a note that read, "Give God the glory - from friends of the Helping Fund".

The prayer group was continually requested to pray about the wise and judicial use of funds. With each new request came prayer that God would bless the response.

Oh, about Fred, he stopped showing up for the business meetings, he would occasionally show up for services. His business dwindled to nothing. Most of his so called friends abandoned him as he could not afford to entertain like he used to. He was too proud to turn to those who could help or even to call upon his Creator. How far will he have to go before he will acknowledge his need and cry out to the only "One" that has the answers? It was from his own lips that the wise council came - "Seek God…".